wfn.org | Full communion proposal between US Lutherans, Episcopalians revised

[FRANK_IMHOFF.parti@ecunet.org (FRANK IMHOFF)]

Text retains historical episcopacy

CHICAGO/GENEVA, 16 April 1998 (lwi) - The Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America (ELCA), in its revision of a proposal for full communion with the
Episcopal (Anglican) Church in the USA, still includes the historical
episcopacy. But chair of the editorial team and advisory group, Martin E.
Marty, emphasized to the ELCA news service that this revised version of the
text, released at the beginning of April, also makes clear that Lutherans
cannot enter into full communion "if we have to believe from now on that
the historical episcopacy is essential to the life of the church and is
part of the very nature of the church." This was in answer to critics who
fear for the role of the laity in the church.

An editorial revision of the proposed text became necessary when the first
effort toward full communion between Lutherans and Episcopalians was
narrowly rejected by the ELCA Assembly in August 1997.

The adoption of the historical episcopacy by the ELCA is among the passages
changed in the new draft of the concordat, compared to the original text.
Regarding the three bishops of the Episcopal Church who should participate
in the installation of an ELCA bishop, the revised text proposes, under the
heading "Called to common mission", that in addition to the Episcopalian
bishops there should also be invitations to bishops from Lutheran churches
which have the historical episcopacy.

On this point the summary of the draft text says that the ELCA "thereby
adopts a sign which is already shared among many churches, including
Lutheran churches."

But church historian, Todd W. Nichol, of Luther Seminary in St. Paul,
expressed reservations about the present version in a paper appended to it.
He stressed that he could not approve the section "Called to common
mission".

"Lutherans are being asked, for the sake of full communion with a church
with the historical episcopacy, to adopt it themselves and with it
fundamental constitutional and liturgical changes. Those Lutherans who
continue to believe that the right preaching of the gospel and
administration of the sacraments is sufficient for the unity of the church
will raise objections to the conditions which are in practice being
demanded of the one church by the other," Nichol was quoted as saying in
the ELCA news service.

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Lutheran World Information
Editorial Assistant: Janet Bond-Nash
E-mail: jbn@lutheranworld.org
http://www.lutheranworld.org/